


anatomy of coffee

by qroken



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-04 19:32:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18350246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qroken/pseuds/qroken
Summary: A collection of post-000 drabbles focusing on Sandalphon and his relationships with the other crew members.





	1. foreward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! this was just something i came up with at 1am. im not very good at writing, and im not very confident in my ability as a writer, but i hope you will enjoy part of this! ill be updating this sporadically and idk if im gonna finish it all.. thanks for reading tho

“Hey, don’t you think Sandalphon is sleeping a lot more than usual?” Lyria leaned over the table and twiddled with her fingers. If she was trying to hide her worry, it wasn’t working, Djeeta knows her too well. And who wouldn’t be worried about Sandalphon after what just happened a couple days ago?

“Mmm… I think he’s just tired,” was the easy way out Djeeta took, “We haven’t been getting sleep ourselves, you know.” Djeeta was referring to the string of dreams where the primarchs taught them how valuable rest (even in dreams) was. The bags under her eyes felt like chains rather than proof of her training. Her body implored her to go back to sleep, but the threat of seeing  _ one more primarch _  made Djeeta want to give up sleeping for good. Especially if the dream was about  _ that damn scythe. _  Djeeta held the cup of coffee up to her lips before speaking again.

“I don’t think I’m the right person to talk about Sandalphon, though. Maybe you should talk to Gran.”


	2. lips

“And so I said, ‘Three people? _Oh no,_ Vyrn must’ve fallen off the cart!’” Gran hunched over in a fit of laughter -- at his own joke nonetheless. Sandalphon couldn’t help but crack open a smile. But it was subtle, something that Sandalphon knew Gran wouldn’t see amid his own tears of joy. Just as a paranoid precaution, Sandalphon covered his smile with his hand. When Gran settled down, he wiped the edges of his eyes and looked back up at Sandalphon. His smile quickly vanished as Gran’s gaze met Sandalphon’s.

“Not funny enough for you?”

“It was… Okay. Your humor needs a bit of work.” Sandalphon wasn't about to humor his captain that easily.

“My sister said something like that too the other day.” Gran sat back in his chair and began pumping his leg up and down. For a moment, he stayed silent in thought. The only thing the two of them could hear was the squeaking floorboards beneath Gran’s forever-moving leg. Suddenly, Gran’s voice split the silence between him and the supreme primarch.

“So, like, Sandy,” Gran began, leaning over the table, “what makes you laugh  _ anyway? _ ”

 

* * *

 

A cup of coffee between the two primals was nothing new. Only this time, it was Lucifer serving the coffee. Sandalphon was frantic, unable to comprehend the other’s humble gesture.

“Please, Lucifer, let me help--” 

“No can do. I grew these beans myself, and I’d like to be the one to prepare them.”

Sandalphon sat there in silence, defeated. He didn’t feel worthy of this kind of service. Even with the knowledge that this was all a dream, the cup in his hand felt hollow. It didn’t hold any weight to Sandalphon. The primal before him was nothing more than a reminder of what his actions had led to. And yet, as Sandalphon pressed his lips against the coffee mug, it felt so real. The gentle flavors filled Sandalphon’s mouth until his lips were satisfied. He put down the cup and unwillingly stared into his reflection.

His reflection in the coffee was barely recognizable. As he gazed into his cup, Sandalphon found someone new, someone he hadn’t bothered to see in a while. His reflection terrified him because he was afraid of seeing someone he feared. The supreme primarch, however, found himself comfortable with what he saw. 

“It’s not bitter, is it?”

“...No.”

Sandalphon paused for a moment, and smiled.

“Not anymore.”

 

* * *

 

“Not anymore? What do you mean you don’t laugh anymore? That’s kind of  _ dumb  _ if you ask me. Here, it’s just pushing your muscles up this w-- Hey! You’re laughing right now!”

Sandalphon was about to cover his mouth, but Gran’s grip wouldn’t let him. Despite this, Sandalphon continued to dwell in his own fit of laughter. It wasn’t forced, or out of malice. It was just him, letting out something that should’ve been poured out a long time ago.


	3. face

Pure azure painted the skies above the Grandcypher. The wind and the taintless canvas above them was perfect for a day of laundry. Laundry stretched from one side of the ship to the other. Sandalphon found himself unable to walk on the tattered deck without having to lift someone’s underwear out of his face. It was one of the reasons why laundry day wasn’t particularly one of Sandalphon’s favorite days, but he learned to bear with it. Sandalphon pushed through the endless sea of laundry until he came to a patch of empty clotheslines. Before he could place down the laundry he brought with him, a hand stretched out to him, offering help to the supreme primarch.

“You again.”

“Me?”

Lucio tilted his head in confusion, he was only trying to help. Instead of retracting his hand at the other’s rejection, he wrapped his hands around Sandalphon’s laundry bin. An almost immediate response, Sandalphon yanked his bin out of Lucio’s grasp.

“Leave me alone! You, you with that face--”

Lucio started squishing his own cheeks with his hand.

“This face?”

“Yes! Yes, that face!”

“I can’t just put this face in a drawer, you know,” Lucio chuckled behind his hand.

Then came the laundry; the dirty laundry. Enraged and out of impulse, Sandalphon started throwing his dirty laundry at Lucio. The actor didn’t bother fighting back, he just kept laughing while Sandalphon depleted the ammo in his bin.

“You got the laundry everywhere. You better pick it up before someone finds a pair of underwear gracefully gliding through the wind.”

“Enough! Enough with with the underwear! I’ve had enough with you and your damn face!”

Sandalphon reached into his bin only to realize that Lucio’s warning rung true, he really did throw his laundry all over the deck. Luckily for both of them, the wind wasn’t strong enough to send his clothes flying. Defeated, Sandalphon let out a disgruntled sigh and began to pick up his belongings. Lucio, recognizing his resignation, assisted him. They let the wind do the talking between them while they collected the clothing off the deck.

Just before Sandalphon could pick up the last shirt off the ground, the wind suddenly picked back up again. The shirt flew between his fingers, leaving Sandalphon to scramble across the deck to retrieve it. Just before it flew off the ship for good, a white plume flew by Sandalphon. In the sky holding Sandalphon’s shirt was Lucio himself. He landed in front of Sandalphon, looking at the shirt.

“Hmm.. This doesn’t seem something you would get in store. Was this handmade?”

“Give it back! Don’t look at it!” Lucio’s intuition was apparently right on point, since it made Sandalphon throw himself in a whirl of panic.

“It’s cute.”

There it was. The same softened expression that blanketed over Lucifer’s face once in a blue moon. His serene smile, the way he would narrow his eyes a bit and tilt his head. It was too real.

 

_Thud._

 

Lucio’s gaze dropped to the floor, following the sound. Sandalphon knelt there, looking beneath him.

“Stop. Please, I’m… I’m begging you.”

Sandalphon raised a hand to his eyes and wiped something away. Lucio knelt on one knee in front of Sandalphon, still clutching the stray shirt.  He met with Sandalphon’s teary gaze.

Reminders. They were _all_ reminders. His wings, his face, even Sandalphon’s _dreams_ , all of them were reminders. Even when he moved on, in a way, he was still in the process of closing the door. Lucio was the wedge preventing Sandalphon from letting go.

“I’m sorry,” Lucio said, handing Sandalphon the shirt.

Sandalphon actually had forgotten about the shirt and looked down at it. The shirt was originally ripped on the left chest area, but Sandalphon had sewn a small white wing onto the hole. It was an amateur's craftwork, but something about the crooked lines alleviated the pain off his shoulders. Despite his looks and the dumb things that spout out of his mouth, Gran was very good at hands on work such as sewing. Gran actually taught Sandalphon how to pick up a thread and needle to patch up the hole on his own. With Gran’s advice, maybe Sandalphon could patch up the hole in his heart on his own.

Sandalphon got up from his knees, still leaving Lucio on his own. Lucio looked up at Sandalphon with a concerned expression.

“No, no. It’s-- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be overreacting like this. You… You shouldn’t be sorry.”

Lucio lifted himself off the floor and smiled again at Sandalphon. But Sandalphon managed not to wince at it. Instead, he smiled back.

“You’re smiling a lot more often, Sandalphon,” Lucio noted.

“Whatever.” Took the words right out of his mouth.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hurgle turgle hehe im baby


	4. eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyria and Gran drag Sandalphon to buy a new outfit.

Voices surrounded Sandalphon as he waded through the endless waves of customers surrounding him. The crew decided to take a break on the next island they came across, and surprisingly, Sandalphon agreed to join them. Djeeta was at a loss for words when he accepted the offer while Gran and Lyria grabbed him by the arms and whisked him away.

 

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Sandalphon asked, worriedly looking at his surroundings. He turned back to Gran, only to see his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Well, there’s a lot of people here, and that Erune lady said it would be just around--”

“Oh! There it is! There it is! Look, Gran! Sandalphon!” Lyria interrupted, pointing to a shop. From the streets, it looked like a small, humble shop. Ivy wrapped around its brick and mortar, giving a sense of unity between the building and its surrounding greenery. Outside the shop, sunflowers were lined up, livening the storefront with various colors. Sandalphon was given no warning before the two yanked him into the store. Hell, he didn’t even get to see the name of the store. _The flowers._ They distracted him.

 

Stumbling inside with his companions, Sandalphon was greeted by rows and rows of clothing. Varying styles were scattered throughout the store, but they were organized in a way where the trio could easily find what they were looking for. Before Sandalphon could ask what their purpose was here, he looked down only to see Lyria’s and Gran’s faces were lit up like matches. Their excitement was bursting at the seams, and Sandalphon felt a sense of dread as the two pulled him into the back of the store.

Lyria and Gran worked in tandem to find outfits for Sandalphon (and even outfits for themselves). They weaved together ideas, and grabbed whatever they could from the clothing racks. Without asking Sandalphon for his input, the two held up shirts and other articles up to Sandalphon’s body to see if they looked good on him. Sandalphon was originally going to object, but he decided to go with the flow for now. His expression softened as he realized that he hadn’t seen this much excitement from Lyria and Gran since they fought Lucilius.

“Sandalphon! Sandalphon!”

“Huh?”

Lyria held up a couple folded clothes to Sandalphon, looking annoyed.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention! You were just standing there looking at the changing rooms! C’mon, try it on!”

Sandalphon scratched the back of his head, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Oh, sorry. Uh-- I’ll just… I’ll just take these now.”

Meekly, Sandalphon accepted the clothes and entered the changing room. Looking at the pile of clothes the duo handed him, something clicked with Sandalphon. As he traced the fabric with his thumb, Sandalphon realized that he never actually paid attention to his appearance unless Lucifer was looking. When he knew Lucifer was coming to visit, or he had an appointment, Sandalphon would spend a decent amount of time fixing himself in the nearest reflection. His gaze moved from the outfit to the mirror in the changing room.

 

This was the first time he changed his appearance for himself. Not for anyone else.

 

“ _Why_ am I doing this again?” Sandalphon momentarily mumbled to himself. Unfolding the clothes, Sandalphon revealed what Gran and Lyria picked out for him. Sandalphon smiled to himself as he stared at the sunflower dress and the white blouse. He suspected that Lyria had accidentally given the outfit she chose for herself to Sandalphon. Despite this, Sandalphon tried on the dress and the blouse. Surprisingly, the sunflower dress fit his frame perfectly. The white blouse also wrapped around him just right. Sandalphon was having second thoughts about the “mistake” theory.

Sandalphon turned to see himself in the mirror. At the sight of his reflection, Sandalphon shielded his face from further embarrassment. This wasn’t something he normally wore. This wasn’t like him. And yet, as he peeked back at himself between his fingers, he felt a wave of giddiness wash over him. It was nice to see a new view of himself.

 

A head peaked out behind the curtain.

“Sandalphon…”

“What.”

“Are you going to show us or what? You took so long to put on that dress! Are you so used to that ugly suit of armor that you forgot how to put on other clothes?”

“H-Hey! I know how to put on _other_ clothes! And what’s wrong with my usual attire? Is it not to your meaningless standards?” As Gran’s and Sandalphon’s directionless banter went on, Lyria was trying to contain her laughter behind a clothes rack.

Finally, after an intervention by Lyria and more nagging, Sandalphon emerged from the changing room he called his cocoon with his new outfit. The supreme primarch pulled down at the dress, trying to hide the skin below his dress. To be fair, the dress was a good 6 inches above his knees.

“Oh! Sandalphon! I love love love, LOVE it!” Lyria let go of everything she was holding and scrambled towards her friend. Gran stood in awe while Lyria was shaking him with excitement.

“See, see? I told you it would look good on him! That blue with the yellow sunflowers really brings out the outfit! And, he even put the blouse over it! It’s perfect!”

Gran snapped out of his amazement and turned back to Lyria with excitement pouring out of his mouth.

“I know right? You know, with the right heels, I think it’ll unify the outfit. Oh! What about a light brown?”

“Yeah! And--”

“Ahem.”

Lyria and Gran turned back towards Sandalphon, who was patiently waiting for them to end their freakout. The two were ready for him to reject the outfit they put together. Something as cheerful as sunflowers and white blouses just weren’t Sandalphon’s thing--

 

“How much is it?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its.....12am. hehe........imgay


	5. shoulders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandalphon and Djeeta play chess.

Djeeta is nothing like her brother. She’s a woman of purpose. Every movement, every gesture, every line that slips out of her mouth, everything is calculated and with purpose. She isn’t the type to initiate a conversation unless she has to, and even then, she doesn’t talk a lot during such engagements. Members of the Grandcypher see Djeeta as the more mature of the twins, and often rely on her for important tasks and leading them in combat. However, she isn’t someone people would normally go to have a lighthearted conversation with. If you wanted to talk business, Djeeta is where you’d go.

“Checkmate.”  
Or so Sandalphon thought.

Djeeta sat back in her seat, plastering a triumphant smile on her face as she watched Sandalphon scan the chess board in disbelief. Sandalphon’s moves, at least to Djeeta, were too predictable on the board.

“Wait… I didn’t-- I didn’t even see that.”

“I know you didn’t see that. That’s why I won.”

Sinking into his chair, Sandalphon let out a resigned sigh. Djeeta sat there for a minute, contemplating how she should celebrate her fourth win in the past two hours. Instead of boasting about her win a fourth time, she raised a finger towards the supreme primarch.

“Something’s wrong. Tell me.”

“Haah?”

A hand reached over the board, organizing it into its original state. As the pieces fell back into place, Djeeta began to say her piece.  
“You normally put up a fight during our matches. You’re distracted… Is there something weighing so heavily on your mind that you can’t direct your mind across the board?”  
Sandalphon looked down at his fingers, anxiously turning and twisting. He hadn’t noticed he was fidgeting with his fingers until Djeeta mentioned his distracted state.

“I...I don’t know.”

“Then we’ll cease playing for today. Your mind isn’t in the right place, and that hinders your ability to think properly.”

Djeeta pushed herself out of her seat and stood over Sandalphon. Even as the supreme primarch, Djeeta’s demanding aura made Sandalphon feel the weight of his wings transfer to Djeeta.

“Even if I’m not Gran, I’m still here to help. I’m still your captain, you know.”

“...I know.”

“You can talk to me when you’re ready.”

The click of Djeeta’s heels followed her out the door. Something about the captain’s reassurance lifted something off of Sandalphon’s mind. The thought of confessing his woes to someone he looked up to was scary. Djeeta and Gran were the two people in his life he held in the same regard as Lucifer. All three of them were people he put on a pedestal despite wanting to be on even ground with Sandalphon. The three were people who reached out to Sandalphon, offering support and love when they didn’t need to. But he couldn’t. The weight of his grief was too much to put on anyone else’s shoulders. Even with Lucifer, the man he loved beyond comprehensive language, he couldn’t express his anguish with his fate outside of his destructive tendencies.  
But Sandalphon was a changed person now. From the few years of being on this ship, it felt like the two captains of the Grandcypher slowly chipped away at his doubt, regret, and anxiety. Bit by bit, Sandalphon got closer to his reflection, admiring each and every detail of it. The shine behind his eyes, the gentleness beneath his finger tips, the scars on his hands, the weight of the crown up on his shoulders, they are all part of him. And he couldn’t understand how he came to terms with it. This newfound view of himself was something Sandalphon was unfamiliar with, something alien and foreign. Sandalphon rubbed his shoulders.

 

He was starting to love himself.

 

Despite their differences, the two twins always knew how to balance the weight of their insecurities on their shoulders. Confidence marked each and every one of their strides. Sandalphon stood up and walked towards the door, borrowing that same confidence.

Sandalphon opened the door before him, leading himself down the winding hallways of the airship. At the end of one of the hallways before the kitchen, Djeeta stood there, contemplating whether she should open the door to the kitchen.

“Hey," Djeeta greeted, looking at Sandalphon with a soft expression.

“H-Hey…”

“You ready to talk about it?”

Sandalphon nodded his head. Approaching Djeeta next to the door, Sandalphon prepared himself to finally speak his mind. He thought that the words would spill out of his mouth in a disorganized fashion, but somehow, he was able to collect his thoughts on the matter. Their private exchange behind that kitchen door was kept secret from all listening ears and prying eyes.

“You are smiling a lot more often, Sandalphon.” Djeeta remarked.

“I… I suppose.” Sandalphon found himself fidgeting with his fingers again. It was a truth Sandalphon would have to live with from now on.

  
Djeeta took a hold of the kitchen door’s handle.

“Gran, Lyria, and Vyrn have been waiting for me to help them bake a cake for that erune from the Eternals Gran likes… Six? Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure they haven’t gotten much progress.” Djeeta led Sandalphon into the kitchen with that confident stride Sandalphon admired so much.

 

He found himself in the kitchen where Lyria, Gran, Djeeta, and Vyrn were throwing cake batter at each other. Caught in the crossfire, Sandalphon found himself being hit square in the face with cake batter due to a miscalculated throw by Gran.

“Oh shit!” Gran shrieked, throwing himself under the counter.

"Whoa! Sandals! Didn't see you there!" Vyrn spat out.

The cake batter rolled from Sandalphon’s face and splat onto the floor. The four stood there in silence, waiting for Sandalphon’s next move. Before anyone could react, Sandalphon scooped the batter off the floor and aimed his throw at Djeeta. Unable to predict this move, Djeeta found herself covered in cake batter. A disgruntled expression was plastered over Djeeta’s face. Unlike Djeeta, Gran and Vyrn were roaring with laughter. Giggling to herself, Lyria reached up to Djeeta’s face in an effort to wipe away the cake batter.

“Oh, so you like to play dirty? Two can play at that game.”

Surprises were just filling up today’s schedule. The normally stoic and responsible Djeeta stuck her whole hand into the bowl full of batter. Sandalphon was no match against Djeeta’s power throw. The batter hit him square in the shoulder, unfortunately, missing his face.

“Looks like someone is distracted.” Sandalphon teased.

“Why, you--!” Before Djeeta could finish her threat, more cake batter was flung at her. Djeeta looked down at the source of the attack, and it was none other than her brother. Lyria and Vyrn were behind their other captain, giggling like the children they are. True betrayal.

After the five exchanged blows of cake batter, Sandalphon retreated to his room to get a change of clothes. Stripping himself, Sandalphon looked at his shirt and pants. He let out a groan upon the realization that he’d have to face Lucio again because of laundry day. Changing himself into a more comfortable set of clothes, he launched himself head first into his bed. He felt his body float onto the sheets like a feather. Sandalphon took a moment to stuff his face into his pillow, shutting out the world around him.

 

Maybe it was for the best that he kept his face covered in his pillow. Sandalphon just couldn’t wipe off that stupid smile off his face.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oouguhhh its 12 am again hehe


End file.
